1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of eyeglasses, and more specifically, to foldable eyeglasses.
2. Statement of the Problem
The prior art contains numerous examples of various types of folding eyeglasses and goggles:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Sakamoto 5,225,857 7/06/93 Chang 5,208,616 5/04/93 Paulsen 4,681,410 7/21/87 Douillard 4,720,186 1/19/88 Rooney 4,840,476 6/20/89 Nixon 2,814,968 12/03/57 ______________________________________
These references disclose various ways of folding eyeglass frames to make them more compact or easier to carry or store. Sakamoto shows collapsible eyeglasses with a mechanism for collapsing the nose pad members when not in use. Chang shows folding spectacles with a hinged joint. Paulsen shows foldable eyeglasses that can be closed and stored in the form of a money clip. Douillard shows folding reading glasses that can be collapsed and stored in a watch compartment. Rooney shows foldable reading glasses with pivoting lenses. Nixon shows a hinged folding eyeglass frame. However, all of these references disclose foldable eyeglasses that are bulky and unsightly in comparison to conventional eyeglasses.
One variety that has been sold by SeeFold Optical Company of Fort Collins, Colo. for more than one year is shown in FIGS. 1(a)-(c). FIG. 1(a) shows SeeFold Optical Company's prior art foldable eyeglasses 12 in the folded state. As shown in FIG. 1(b), these prior art eyeglasses 12 have a first frame 14 and a second frame 16. The first frame 14 has a cam portion 18 having a first surface 22, a second surface 24, and a notch 26. The second frame 16 has a barrel portion 20 and a cantilevered locking bar 28. The first frame 14 is pivotably connected to the second frame 16 by a pivot bar 19 running through the barrel portion 20. As the second frame 16 rotates with respect to the first frame 14, the locking bar 28 rotates around the cam portion 18 being displaced by the corner 23 formed by the first 22 and second 24 surfaces as shown in FIG. 1(b). The locking bar 28 locks the frames 14 and 16 into the open position shown in FIG. 1(c) by resting in the notch 26 since closing the frames 14,16 would cause a displacement of the locking bar 28, which resists displacement, about the corner 23. As shown, while the prior art eyeglasses 12 are somewhat compact, the barrel portion 20, the locking bar 28, and the cam portion 18 are rather bulky and cause the eyeglasses 12 to differ in profile from conventional eyeglasses.
Aesthetics are very important in fashionable eyewear, and many persons might find the bulky features shown in the above references undesirable. The problem with these prior art eyeglasses is that none show foldable eyeglasses that are highly compact and selectively lock in the open position yet closely resemble the profile of modern fashion eyewear.
3. Solution to the Problem
The present invention provides foldable eyeglasses that are highly compact and selectively lock in the open position, yet, in the open position, have a profile that closely resembles the stylish, designer-type frames of conventional eyewear. More specifically, the present invention solves the above-stated problem by providing folding frames having three horizontal leaves. The frames rotate from a folded position where the front surface of the frames are together to an open position wherein a central leaf substantially fills the space between a top leaf and bottom leaf to form a bridge resembling that of conventional eyeglasses. Also, the leaves have a locking mechanism which, in the preferred embodiment, includes a protrusion on the top horizontal leaf and a complimentary detent on the central leaf.